- My name is Ben Adida. I write about the intersection of the Web, Crypto, and Policy. More About Me.
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Recent Posts
Category Archives: privacy
Crisis in the Java Community… could they have used a secret-ballot election?
There is a bit of a crisis in the Java community: the Apache Foundation just resigned its seat on the Java Executive Committee, as did two individual members, Doug Lea and Tim Peierls. From what I understand, the central issue … Continue reading
Posted in crypto, privacy, security, voting
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The Health IT report is very good; some opinionated suggestions
“Oy,” I thought, when I received a copy of “REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT REALIZING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE HEALTHCARE FOR AMERICANS: THE PATH FORWARD” [PDF]. I worried this would be a lot of vague, easy-to-agree-with … Continue reading
Posted in data, health, privacy
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airport privacy
Today, I opted out of the TSA’s “advanced imaging” system at San Francisco International airport. To the TSA’s credit, they behaved very professionally. As soon as I said I was opting out, a manager came over and asked me why, … Continue reading
Facebook can and should do more to proactively protect users
A few days ago, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Facebook apps were leaking user information to ad networks. Today, Facebook proposed a scheme to address this issue. This is good news, but I’m concerned that Facebook’s proposal doesn’t address … Continue reading
Posted in crypto, privacy, web
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browser extensions = user freedom
The web browser has become the universal trusted client. That can be good: users can mostly rely on their browsers to isolate their banking site from the other web sites they visit. It can also be bad for users’ freedom: … Continue reading
devices, payload data, and why Kim is (in part) right.
A few days ago, I wrote about privacy advocacy theater and lamented how some folks, including EPIC and Kim Cameron, are attacking Google in a needlessly harsh way for what was an accidental collection of data. Kim Cameron responded, and … Continue reading
Posted in data, policy, privacy
5 Comments
Privacy Advocacy Theater
Ed Felten recently used the very nice term Privacy Theater in describing the insanity of 6,000-word privacy agreements that we pretend to understand. The term, inspired by Bruce Schneier’s “security theater” description of US airport security, may have been introduced … Continue reading
Posted in policy, privacy
8 Comments
For deniability, faking data even the owner can’t prove is fake
I was speaking with a colleague yesterday about Loopt, the location-based social network, the rise of location-based services and the incredible privacy challenges they present. I heard the Loopt folks give a talk a few months ago, and I was … Continue reading
Posted in crypto, privacy, voting
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Buzz Kill
Everyone is talking about the privacy disaster that was the Google Buzz launch, and oh my goodness it was. I’ve never been so thankful that I don’t use gmail. I’m frankly surprised that they didn’t do a smaller beta first, … Continue reading
Posted in policy, privacy
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One real issue behind the Mint.com sale to Intuit: who owns the data?
A few days ago, mint.com, a fantastic online personal finance tool, was sold to Intuit. A number of users are disappointed, and some are downright pissed, claiming the “next generation bends over.” Well, first of all, that’s ridiculous, a company … Continue reading
Posted in privacy
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